Graphical user interfaces and associated controls are becoming more popular as means to set parameters for operations and processes. Slider controls are particularly popular to control processes. Most computer-literate people are familiar with using slider controls to set various computer-related parameters in computer-related processes such as, for example, display resolution; level of virus and firewall security (e.g., from “low” to “high”) etc.
Such slider controls are particularly useful for those relatively unfamiliar with underlying processes because they provide a level of abstraction with which novice users can relate. The alternative to using a slider control to set levels of virus and firewall protection may be daunting. Typically, the slider control abstracts numerous individual settings which otherwise would have to be individually set. The most common way of making such selections is with check boxes. In a complex security application, the number of check boxes may comprise tens, or even hundreds, of individual settings. If details are not provided to assist a user in making selections, the user may be befuddled as to whether an individual setting increases, or decreases, the level of security. In addition, unless the user has a detailed understanding of interactions between various settings, combinations of settings that conflict with a desired level of protection may be selected.
As indicated previously, slider controls overcome these problems because they provide a level of abstraction. Although a user typically will have difficulty in determining whether any particular combination of check box selections are optimal, the user will have a much easier time determining that a particular slider control setting is optimal. This occurs because experts are mapping the slider control settings to combinations of check settings in a complex process. Experts understand intuitively how settings combine and interact, and thus are capable of mapping the combinations to slider control settings in terms of, for example, “low protection” or “high protection”.
Thus, slider controls are particularly useful when a plurality of settings can be abstracted to a single range. Slider controls are less useful, though, when a user is interested in more than one abstract characterization of a process. An archetypal relationship immediately comes to mind, the trade-off between performance level, availability and cost. It is not unusual that there is a direct relationship between cost and the level of availability and performance selected in a complex process. Increasing levels of availability and performance often come at great expense. In such situations, conventional slider controls have been found ineffective. Two slider controls simply do not provide enough information as to whether an optimal combination of values has been selected for two parameters.
Accordingly, those skilled in the art desire improvements to slider controls that enable them to be used to more effectively select values for two or more operating parameters.